Explanation:
A bright nova was discovered Saturday that is
currently visible to the unaided eye in southern skies.
Nova Velorum 1999 was recorded near visual magnitude 3
independently by discoverers Peter Williams and
Alan C. Gilmore (Mt. John U. Obs.),
making it more luminous than many famous bright stars.
The last nova this bright was
Nova Cygni 1975, which peaked just brighter than
magnitude 2.
Nova Velorum 1999 is brighter now than the well-studied
Nova Cygni 1992 ever
appeared.
A nova occurs when the surface of a
white dwarf star
undergoes a tremendous
thermonuclear explosion, throwing off its outer layers.
How the nova will appear over the next few weeks is uncertain,
but the exploding debris will likely fade beyond detectability
over the next few years.
The
above photograph of Nova Velorum 1999 was
taken yesterday from Australia. The
cross-hair like spikes
that appear around it were caused by the
photographing telescope and camera.